


Christmas Wishes

by ClassicTrekker



Category: Airwolf
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-11
Updated: 2012-12-11
Packaged: 2017-11-20 22:23:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/590299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClassicTrekker/pseuds/ClassicTrekker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caitlin's got a few wishes for Christmas...and the perfect opportunity to share them, hoping that Hawke gets the message.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N – This story came to me after reading nee-nee-NIA’s excellent Walker Texas Ranger fic All I Want For Christmas. As with Class Reunion, there will be two versions. For time reference, this would be set around Christmas time in S3, possibly after the events of And a Child Shall Lead, characters from which will make appearances in this story. Also, for purposes of continuity with other story arcs, Caitlin and Hawke are not involved romantically, yet.

_I’m dreaming....of a White Christmas...._   Caitlin O’Shannessy thought she was sick of that song already... _and, it’s not even the middle of December,_ she thought to herself ruefully.  _Besides, how often do we see snow in California, for cryin' out loud??_ She and her friends, Dominic Santini and Stringfellow Hawke, were decorating the hangar for Christmas, specifically a gathering planned for two days from now, when the kids in Bobby Phelps’ church group, along with Dominic’s friend Sister Monica, would come to the hangar to see Santa Claus. 

 

 

Dom, of course, had his Santa outfit stashed in the office, but he was wondering if Bobby and the kids would be the _only_ ones to sit on Santa’s lap that day.  He couldn’t help noticing a dreamy look in Caitlin’s eyes whenever Hawke was around – _more than once, I’ve had to snap her out of a daze, or something to that effect,_ Dom mused to himself. _No doubt about it – Cait’s got it **bad** for String.  And, I’ll bet he’s got it just as bad for her. Wonder if there’s anything I can do about that?  _ Dom suddenly caught Caitlin looking at him, and returned to his work, hanging tinsel from the rotors of one of his choppers.

 

 

_I know that look, Dominic Santini,_ Caitlin thought to herself as she caught the expression in his eyes.  _And, you’re right.  I **do** have it bad for String.  _She’d known she loved Hawke since shortly after she had arrived in California.  The only problem was – he didn’t, or wouldn’t, or _couldn’t_ love her back.  Caitlin refused to believe it was the last one – that would mean she didn’t have a chance with him at all.  _Hopefully, it’s only that he **won’t**_ , Caitlin mused to herself, smiling.  She had often caught herself recently, wondering what Hawke’s piercing blue eyes would look like on a four or five-year-old girl, waking her parents up on Christmas morning to open her presents.  _Doubt I’ll ever get the chance to find out,_ Caitlin sighed to herself as she saw String walk into the hangar. _Unless I take the bull by the horns and do something about it myself._ The only question, in her mind, was _What?_

 

 

Stringfellow Hawke noticed the dreamy expression in his friend’s eyes almost from the moment he walked into the hangar.  _Uh-oh. Cait’s got that look in her eyes again.  And, I have a sinking feeling I know what she’s thinking about._ He had seen her walking around the past couple of days with a similar expression, and he could almost equate it to the deer-in-the-headlights look that he got when he was really confused about something.

 

 

_Why haven’t I been able to get her off my mind recently?_ Hawke wondered to himself, frustrated.  It hadn’t seemed to matter where he was, or what he was doing.  Even if he and Dominic were making a maintenance flight in Airwolf, somehow, Caitlin’s face had always been at the forefront of Hawke’s mind.  _Ah, it can’t be happening,_ String told himself brusquely, to try to ward off an image that had somehow formed in his mind, of he and Caitlin kissing under a sprig of mistletoe hanging from the hangar entrance.  _She’s my friend, yeah...and we work together....but to fall in love with her?  That would be so....weird....wouldn’t it?  Not to mention that other little issue...._

 

 

Ever since he was twelve years old, and his parents were killed in a boating accident out on the lake at his cabin, Hawke had felt that anyone he loved, or even _might love,_ would die.  Never mind the fact that Caitlin had already, in the short time she’d been associated with him and Airwolf, been in several scrapes that could have cost her her life, most prominently one where she was nearly shot out of the sky by Robert Villers, the man she had been dating for a short time, only to find out he was just using her to get information about when she was going to fly billionaire industrialist Carter Anderson III to an important meeting, so he could shoot Anderson’s plane out of the sky.  _I thought we were gonna lose her that time, for sure,_ Hawke thought to himself, and was surprised when another voice sounded in his head.  _But you **didn’t...** and she wasn’t in that situation because of you.... **or** Airwolf.  Think about this, Stringfellow....do you **really** want to spend the rest of your life alone?  _As the whisper in his mind died away, Hawke promised himself that he would think... _really think_...about what the voice had asked him. 

 

 

_Wait just a minute,_ Caitlin thought to herself as she tried to avert her eyes from Hawke.  _I just had an idea.....Wonder if Santa grants wishes to “big” kids, too? Only one way to find out,_ she said to herself, and for the rest of the day, she seemed to Hawke and Dom to be in much better spirits, which in turn served to lift _their_ spirits, even if only temporarily.

 

 

_I give up,_ String thought as they were closing up the hangar that evening.  _I absolutely give up. I have a better chance of going to the_ Moon _than I have of fighting this much longer._ Of course, with his qualifications, Hawke knew he could have been an astronaut, if that path had truly appealed to him.  But something else was bothering him – mainly, the fact that he had noticed, quite possibly for the first time since Caitlin had been in the hospital with a minor concussion, the shape of her legs and behind, as she strode away from him wearing a pair of jeans that Hawke thought might have been about a half size too small.  _Wonder if she does that on purpose,_ Hawke asked himself. 

 

 

Caitlin had caught Hawke’s stare just before she completely turned around, and said to herself, _Yes, String....I **do** do this on purpose....and I **think** it might just be working,_ she laughed to herself.  She recalled what Dom had said while she sat in the hospital being treated for her concussion not long ago.  “Now, _that’s_ a nice leg!”  String had even smiled as she threw the sheets over her legs, and agreed, “Yeah. _Not bad,_ for an ex-cop from Texas!”  Caitlin knew that working around the hangar like she did, showing too much leg was not a good idea, as there was too much danger a short skirt could get caught in a piece of machinery, or ride up her legs when she was working under a helicopter, so she generally avoided them as a force of habit.  However, she knew they wouldn’t be working while Bobby’s group was there _..and since they’ll be here most of the day....h-mm..._ she thought to herself, as a plan began to form in her mind.  _If you think I look good now, Stringfellow Hawke....you just wait,_ she promised herself.

 

 

“So, Dom...you ready to play Santa on Thursday?”  String asked his old friend as they flew back up to the cabin.

 

 

“Huh?  Oh, yeah, yeah....sure.  I just hope Sister Monica doesn’t get any thoughts about my....well, you know,” Dominic stammered, as Hawke recalled how Sister Monica had hinted at finding “a way to revive Dominic’s virility,” the day they discussed the church picnic.

 

 

“Yeah, Dom.  I remember,” Hawke said, but Dominic could tell his young friend’s mind was a million miles away. 

 

 

“Want to talk about it?”  Dom queried his friend.

 

 

“About what?”

 

 

“Whatever it is that’s making you look ten years older,” Dominic teased Hawke, which earned him a stern glare from the man in the co-pilot’s seat.

 

 

“Like you can’t figure it out for yourself, Dom,” Hawke grumbled.  “But, I’ll give you three guesses, but I think you’re only gonna need one.”

 

 

Dom smiled.  “Ah...I think I understand.  Your problem wouldn’t have anything to do with...oh, I don’t know...a certain redheaded ex-cop?” 

 

 

“Yeah, from Texas,” Hawke admitted defeatedly.  “I’m just....so tired of fighting it, Dom.  Especially when everybody I know seems to see it—you, Michael, Marella.....”

 

 

“String?  What are you getting at?”  Dom hoped against hope that his boy had finally, after almost a year, seen the error of his ways regarding Cait.  _After all, I’m not getting any younger,_ Dom said to himself with a sigh, _and a surrogate grandkid....or two....would be nice before I go._

 

 

“Caitlin, Dom.  I’m sure you’ve noticed that her jeans seem to be fitting a little tighter recently,” Hawke admitted as he recalled watching her walk away from him back at the hangar, “I think she’s trying to tell me something.  And,” he admitted with a defeated shrug of his shoulders, “It’s working.”

 

 

_HALLELUJAH!!_ Dom screamed in his mind.  “Yeah, String, I have noticed her jeans fitting a little more snug these days....and, I wondered if it was on purpose.  Well, buddy.  Now you know how you feel.  So, _what the heck are you gonna do about it?_ ” Dom demanded as he set the helicopter down at the landing dock of the cabin.

 

 

“That, I don’t know yet, Dom,” Hawke admitted.  “But, I promise...I’ll figure it out....soon.”  He smiled at his old friend as he got out of the chopper, home once again.

 

 

As Hawke watched the chopper lift off from the landing pad, his mind was, not surprisingly, drawn back to Caitlin.  He remembered some of the moments they’d had in the year since she’d come into their lives....most specifically after the rescue at the Horn compound—he remembered the tears in Caitlin’s eyes when he woke up after being drugged—she later told him everything that happened, including that she thought she had killed him with an antidote that she had injected into him, but tonight, as he stared out across the surface of the lake, Hawke wondered if there had been something else behind her expression that day.  _One way or the other,_ Hawke admitted to himself, _I owe it to myself....and to **her**....to find out.  _ He shook his head in puzzlement and confusion as he walked back to the cabin.

 

 

The next day, Wednesday, Hawke made a conscious effort to pay more attention to Caitlin, and was surprised when his efforts were not only appreciated, but reciprocated, especially when he offered to buy her lunch that afternoon.  At first, she had seemed startled, but she quickly acquiesced and the two of them enjoyed each other’s company for what seemed to Hawke to be the first time since she’d come to work there.  _I never noticed this before,_ Hawke thought to himself as he looked into her eyes, _but she has the most beautiful eyes._ Hawke quickly averted his gaze, but Caitlin noticed his expression and simply smiled knowingly. 

 

 

In her heart, though, Caitlin was singing for joy.  _I can’t believe it,_ she said to herself, over and over again.  _I think it’s working!!_ She knew then that she wouldn’t get much sleep that night, because she was going to be planning out every detail of her outfit for the next day, and trying to anticipate what _that_ would do to String. 

 

 

The next morning, Hawke strolled into the hangar and was stopped dead in his tracks by what he saw.  Caitlin had abandoned her usual T-shirt and jeans for a long sleeved blouse, a knee-length black skirt, and black leather high heeled pumps.  He struggled to avert his eyes from the gorgeous woman before him, but it was all but useless.  “Caitlin....wow.  You look great.  What’s the occasion?”

 

 

“Well, since we’re not doing much with the helicopters today, I just felt like dressing up a bit.  You like, String?”  She stepped closer to him, which allowed him to smell her perfume, something else she rarely wore around the hangar.

 

 

“Oh, yeah.  I like.  I like very much,” Hawke stammered before he walked away.  _Okay, Caitlin, I get it,_ Hawke said to himself. Another voice sounded in his head.  _Okay, so you get it.  Now, the question is, what are you going to do about it, smart guy?_

 

 

“String!!”  Hawke’s friend Bobby Phelps had spotted him and run up to give him a hug.  Without hesitating, he turned and gave another hug to Caitlin, knowing she would ask about it if he didn’t.  Then he turned back to String and said, “Hey, String...Cait looks real pretty today, doesn’t she?”  When Hawke glanced over at her, he thought he saw a twinge of red coloring her fair skin as he leaned down and whispered to Bobby, “Yeah, buddy....she does.” 

 

 

“Mr. Hawke?  Is Santa about ready?”  Sister Monica asked him, breaking the moment.

 

 

“Oh....hi, Sister.  Let me go check.”  He ducked into the office where Dom was just putting the finishing touches on his costume.  “Ho ho ho!!”  Dom shouted as Hawke closed the door, then continued, “Hey, String?  You get a look at...”

 

 

“Yeah, Dom.  I saw her,” Hawke interrupted his friend.  “But the reason I’m in here is to see if you’re about ready—the kids are getting restless.”  Dom smiled and straightened his beard before telling String to open the door.

 

 

“ _HO HO HO!!”_ Dom shouted as he walked out the door, waving to the kids.  A shout erupted from the kids gathered around as Santa went to sit on his special chair, and said, “Okay, kids...who’s first?”  Bobby came running up and shouted, “Me, Santa!!”

 

 

“And what do you want for Christmas, young man?”

 

 

Bobby listed off several things he wanted for Christmas, mostly toys, before he jumped off Santa’s lap and allowed the next kid to take their turn.  Finally, after about two hours, the group had all given their wishes to Santa Claus, and after Bobby said special good-byes to String, Caitlin, and “Santa,” the group left, but before Dom decided to change out of his Santa costume, Caitlin said, “Um, Santa?  I’ve got a Christmas wish myself,” even as she noticed String turning away from them. 

 

 

“Well, little lady, Santa listens to everybody’s wishes, so come over here and tell me about it,” Dom said as he glanced over at String, noticing that his young friend hadn’t moved too far out of earshot.

 

 

Cait sat herself down on Santa’s lap and said, “Well, I feel kinda foolish doing this...but....I want to hear four special words from String this year.  I think it’s time, don’t you...’Santa?’” She glanced longingly over in Hawke’s direction, and Santa knew exactly what “four special words” she meant. 

 

 

“Well, young lady...have you been a good girl this year?”  Dom chuckled to himself as he asked the question, knowing perfectly well Cait had been a good girl all year long.

 

 

“Yeah...at least, I think I have,” Caitlin replied honestly.

 

 

“Well, then.....you’ll get what you want,” Santa replied, giving Caitlin a friendly pat on the shoulder. 

 

 

“Thanks, Santa,” she beamed at him, and gave him a quick, friendly peck on the cheek as she got up, allowing Dominic to get out of his chair and go change out of his costume.  She suddenly looked around and noticed that Hawke had disappeared.  _Where could he have gone?_   Caitlin wondered to herself.  _Maybe....maybe he didn’t hear my Christmas wish,_ she said to herself dejectedly. She felt herself fall further into the dumps as she considered another possibility.  _But with that super-hearing of his....he_ **had** _to have heard me....  I guess....I guess he heard me, and doesn’t feel that way about me._   She felt herself near tears when Dom came out of the office and asked, “Cait?  Where’d String go?”  Then, he noticed her expression and said, “Caitlin.  What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

 

 

“Aw, Dom....I feel like such a fool.  I poured my heart out to you....I mean...Santa Claus, and I thought String had heard me...but, I guess not.  Either that, or he doesn’t feel the way I hoped he did,” she sighed as they heard a commotion outside, and Dom noticed his boy coming towards them.  “Don’t be so sure, Cait,” Dom reassured her when he saw the expression in Hawke’s eyes.

 

 

“Hey, Dom....you need us for anything else today?”  String asked, obviously having something else on his mind.

 

 

“Huh?  Oh...nah, we got nothing else scheduled for today...you kids go and have fun...whatever it is you’re thinking of,” Dom answered, more than a little apprehensively.

 

 

“Thanks, Dom,” Hawke said, taking hold of Caitlin’s hand and noticing her expression.  “Hey, Cait.  Take a ride with me?”

 

 

“Huh?  Oh...sure, String.  You got something in mind?”  she answered, and tried to keep the sadness out of her voice, even as she focused her eyes on their joined hands.  _Why on Earth is he holding my hand?_   Caitlin asked herself.  _Not that I_ **mind** _that he's doing it....I just want to know_ **why** _he's doing it._

 

 

“As a matter of fact, yeah, I do,” Hawke replied, and the two of them got into one of Dom’s choppers and lifted off.  As Dom watched them leave, he noticed that Hawke seemed to be headed in the direction of the cabin.  _Good luck, String, if you’re gonna do what I_ _ **think..**_ _no...what Caitlin and I_ _ **hope**_ _you’re gonna do._

 

 

About an hour later, String brought the chopper down on the landing dock at the cabin, and as he and Caitlin got out, she asked him, “Hawke, why did you bring me all the way up here?  What’s going on?”

 

 

Hawke gathered his courage, knowing that what he was about to say was, without a doubt, the hardest thing he’d told anyone in a long time.  Finally, he took Caitlin’s face in his hands, and, gazing deep into her blue-green eyes, he answered, “Caitlin...there’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, but I never seemed to find the right opportunity, or feel the right way about it. But now,” he paused for a moment, then plunged ahead.  “I needed to tell you this – Caitlin, I love you...”  Before he could finish, he felt Caitlin press her lips against his in a passionate kiss, and there was nothing he could do but kiss her back. 

 

 

When the kiss finally broke, Caitlin whispered, “String....I love you, too.  And, you made my Christmas wish come true today....that’s the best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten,” she smiled at him, through the tears that were still in her eyes. 

 

 

Relieved, Hawke told her, “Caitlin, you’re gonna have to be patient with me....you know how I get sometimes...you better than anybody, except maybe Dominic.  But....I’d like to take you out sometime, for a nice dinner, maybe go dancing....what do you say?”

 

 

“I say....absolutely, String,” she smiled at him again.   “And don’t worry....I was patient this long, I can handle whatever this throws at me....as long as I know how you feel.”

 

 

“I know I’ve been mysterious about my feelings in the past...but never doubt this, now that you know.  I love you, Caitlin....I love you so much,” Hawke figured he needed to keep repeating himself, to make up for the thousands of times he should have told her but didn’t. 

 

 

“Hey, String....you said you wanted to take me out?  Well,” she grinned at him, “since we’ve got nothing else to do today...”

 

 

He smiled back and said, “Well...is there anything special you’d like to do?” 

 

 

“It is a little early for dinner,” she smiled at him, “But....” She pulled him closer and kissed him again, even more passionately than before, as overhead, an eagle circled the dock and cried out its approval.  Hawke heard the eagle’s cry and felt his heart soar, as if a great weight had lifted itself from his shoulders.  _We know how we feel about each other,_ Hawke admitted to himself as they reluctantly released each other and got back in the chopper, _now we just have to keep those feelings alive._   He knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he also knew he didn’t intend to run the risk of losing her, not after he’d pushed her away for so long.  _No more,_ Hawke promised himself.  _Today is a new beginning.  The first day....of the rest of_ _ **our**_ _lives._


	2. Chap. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another year, another Christmas wish from Caitlin. What is she wishing for this year??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Events in this story will, as always, have no effect on my main story arcs, and for timeline purposes, take place a year after the events depicted in CW 1. (Making this somewhat of an AU fic).

_It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas...._   Stringfellow Hawke had never understood the Christmas season.  Not being a big believer in God, he had a hard time wrapping his head around the whole Christmas concept—at least, until last year. After a gathering for his friend, Bobby Phelps’ youth group, Caitlin O’Shannessy had decided to sit on “Santa’s” lap, and confessed her own Christmas wish— _to hear four special words from Hawke,_ he recalled. _So, she got to hear them._ And, he had to admit, life had been a lot better since he finally acknowledged, and admitted, his feelings for her. 

 

 

As she helped Dom hang some decorations off one of the helicopters, Caitlin glanced over at Hawke, who was on the phone with Sister Monica, arranging for the youth group’s next visit with Santa Claus.  _I have to admit...this past year has been incredible,_ Caitlin thought to herself.  _String is as happy as I’ve ever seen him, and I like to think that I’m a big reason for that,_ she smiled to herself.  _Of course, I’m happy, too.  I just...want so much more,_ she admitted to herself.  Even though she’d only been serious with Hawke for the past year, she knew in her heart that it was time to take their relationship beyond just dating, to something more permanent.  _But, I know Hawke...he’s an old-fashioned guy, so if anybody’s gonna propose, it’s gonna have to be him,_ Caitlin sighed to herself. Then, she remembered – Bobby’s youth group was coming in three days.  _Well....it worked once,_ Caitlin said to herself, _there’s no reason to think it won’t work again._ She knew, of course, that since she and Hawke went out somewhere every night, she was going to have an awfully hard time keeping her wishes secret for the next two nights.

 

 

_Uh-oh...Cait’s got that look in her eyes again,_ Dominic Santini noticed as she climbed down from the ladder she’d been perched on. _What could she be wishing for_ **this** _time, I wonder? She’s already got String.....wait a second.  Don’t tell me she wants String to....._ Dom’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Caitlin walked over to him.  “Dom?  You look like you were a million miles away just now. What’s up?”

 

 

Dom shook his head, as if he were trying to clear a cobweb from it, and said, “Sorry, Cait....just noticing you seemed to have something else on _your_ mind, that’s all.  Want to talk about it?”

 

 

“What?  Oh...nah, it’s nothing,” she replied with her trademark smile.  “Just some wishful thinking, that’s all,” she assured him as she went back to work.

 

 

_Uh-huh. Right,_ Dom grunted to himself.  _If you think I believe that, Caitlin....you’ve got another think coming.  I didn’t just fall off the pizza wagon, you know._ Dom chuckled to himself, as he wondered if String would really consider Cait as a possible lifelong partner.  _Heck, I don’t see why not,_ Dom asserted to himself.  _They’ve gotten so close, they practically finish each other’s sentences now...so why doesn’t he make it official?_ Dom knew Caitlin was worried, not only about where their relationship was going, but about how her family would react.  _If I know Cait’s mom, she’d be furious if she thought that String wasn’t looking at Caitlin as a potential wife,_ Dom thought to himself.  _To me, it only seems natural—they love each other...so why not?_

 

 

Hawke, meanwhile, was wrestling with a stubborn hanger for some tinsel, that absolutely refused to stay where he wanted it, but also, and perhaps more urgently, wrestling with his own feelings and emotions about Caitlin.  _Why do I get the feeling she wants something more from me than just a ‘boyfriend,’_ he asked himself as the stubborn piece of metal finally stayed where it was.  _If I didn’t know better, I’d think she wants....well....would it be so bad if I asked her to marry me?_ Hawke was honestly surprised he even had to debate that question.  _No, it wouldn’t.  I mean....we love each other, so why wouldn’t we want to be together, forever?  We already know we’re good together,_ he admitted, as he thought of the last year as they’d gotten to know each other and developed more deep appreciations for the other person.

 

 

Then Hawke recalled that Bobby’s youth group was coming in three days. _Since she made the wish  
about us getting together last year, would it surprise me if she asked Santa for another wish this year?  One concerning....a ring, maybe?  Hmm....._

 

 

The next day, Hawke made sure he was at the office before Caitlin, as he had something to show Dominic.  “Hey, Dom....come in here for a second,” Hawke called out, and motioned Dominic toward the office door.  Once Dom came in and closed the door behind him, he said, “What’s up, String?  Something you don’t want the world to hear?  And, what are you doing here so early, anyway?”

 

 

Reaching into the pocket of his flight jacket, Hawke pulled out a small, maroon velvet box.  “I wanted to show you.....this, before Caitlin gets here,” Hawke replied, and opened the box to reveal a stunning, two carat, oval cut diamond ring.  “Think she’ll like it?”

 

 

“The only reason she wouldn’t is if she didn’t think.....String?  Are you thinking what I _hope_ you’re thinking?”  Dominic held his breath, anticipating the answer.

 

 

“Yeah, Dom....if I know Cait, and I think I do know her pretty well by now, she’s got another Christmas wish for you on Thursday.  And, if my hunch is right, it revolves around this,” he said as he closed the ring box and put it in his pocket once again.  “So, I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

 

 

“String, I have only one thing to say.....it’s about time, goddammit!!”  Dominic’s face split into a huge, ear-to-ear grin as he grabbed String and pulled his surrogate son into a hug.  “Yeah, I think you’re right...about Cait’s wish, that is.  And, if we play it right, she won’t go through one of those worry episodes, like happened last year.”

 

 

Hawke remembered walking back into the hangar and seeing Caitlin nearly in tears, after she thought Hawke wasn’t going to make her Christmas wish last year come true.  “Yeah, Dom; I remember her face last year, before we went up to the cabin.  I don’t want to see her like that again...so let’s try and figure something out, okay?”  Dominic smiled at his friend, and the two of them began going over ideas on how to make this Christmas wish one Caitlin would remember for the rest of her life.

 

 

The next day, Wednesday, Caitlin thought she sensed something strange in Hawke.  _Something’s going on in his head,_ Caitlin worried, _but he won’t tell me what it is.  I sure hope nothing’s wrong,_ she thought to herself, especially after the past few weeks, which had seen them getting a lot closer.  She started having thoughts about the future— _and that_ _future includes String,_ she said to herself firmly.  She knew they hadn’t been romantically involved that long, but she already couldn’t imagine her life without Hawke.  _After all, I almost lost him once before,_ Caitlin said to herself with a small shudder, as she recalled the events two years ago, at the Horn compound.

 

 

_Flashback_

 

 

Caitlin, dressed in a soldier’s uniform, entered Hawke’s room after she saw Angelica Horn walk out, before Hawke could close and lock the door.  Hawke hadn’t seen her at first, but when he turned around, he found Caitlin in the room.  He didn’t recognize her, thanks to the brainwashing drugs he’d been subjected to by John Bradford Horn’s “doctors.”

 

 

Hawke stared at the unfamiliar newcomer in the room as if he were looking at a total stranger.  She stared right back at him, and tried to get him to recognize her as the friend that she was.  His expression hardened, and he had shouted, _“SPY!!”_   at her, just before he attacked her. 

 

 

Fortunately for Caitlin, her police training had involved heavy training in hand-to-hand combat, and she was quickly able to turn the tables on Hawke and inject him with an antidote chemical that Archangel had given her.  He had warned her not to use it “unless it was absolutely necessary,” due to the side effects, which, in up to a third of the tests, included death.  But, Caitlin felt it was worth the risk, even as Hawke slumped to the floor, unconscious.

 

 

Caitlin tried to get Hawke to recover, but he quickly stopped moving, and his breathing appeared to have stopped as well.  Caitlin became despondent, pounding on Hawke’s unconscious body and screaming, _“NO!!  I THOUGHT IT WOULD HELP YOU!!  NO!!!”_ and finally collapsing against his chest.

 

_End Flashback_

 

 

_Fortunately, Archangel’s drug worked,_ Caitlin mused, _and Hawke came back to us....to **me**.  Even though it did take him another two years to realize how he felt about me.  _ She thought back over the last two years, all the frustrations she’d experienced when she would try to bring them closer together, and Hawke continually pushed her away.  _Not many women would have stuck around,_ she admitted to herself, _but I knew we’d get past it if Hawke would just admit how he felt.  And,_ she smiled to herself as memories of that day a year ago flooded her mind again, _he finally did._

 

 

_It did seem a little strange, Hawke taking me all the way to the cabin, just to tell me how he felt,_ Caitlin admitted to herself, but she figured she wouldn’t have had it any other way.  _It’s so romantic up there,_ she thought to herself.  _The few times we’ve been there alone, up until last year, I’ve wanted to kiss him absolutely stupid...among other things I’ve wanted us to do._ She stopped her reminiscing as Hawke came into the hangar, and embraced her warmly.

 

 

_Ah, that does my heart a lot of good,_ Dominic mused to himself as he watched Hawke and Caitlin exchange a loving embrace.  _There was a time I thought he’d never admit how he felt about that girl...even though everybody around him could see it,_ he laughed to himself, _including me._

 

 

“So, Cait...any special wishes for tomorrow?”  Hawke asked out of sheer curiosity.

 

 

“That, String, is my little secret,” she answered him with a smile.  _If you think I’m gonna tell you what I’m wishing for this year, buddy boy, then you’ve got another think coming!_  

 

 

Just from the look in her eyes when he asked, Hawke knew she had a special wish on her mind for when Bobby’s youth group met “Santa” tomorrow, _she’s just not telling me,_ he mumbled to himself. “Okay, I get the hint,” Hawke replied with a grin, as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.  _Of course, I think I already know what her Christmas wish is this year.  And, if I’m right, it will come true,_ Hawke thought to himself with a smile.

 

 

“What’s got you in such a good mood, String?”  Caitlin queried, her blue-green eyes focused on him.

 

 

“Nothing, Cait....just thinking about you, that’s all,” Hawke replied, and added to himself.... _and the look on your face tomorrow when your next Christmas wish comes true._

 

 

_Uh-huh.  Right. If you think I believe that one, buster, you’ve got another think coming!_   Caitlin didn’t allow her angry retort to become verbal, instead; she simply nodded at String and smiled again, before walking to the mailbox with a stack of letters and bills.

 

 

“Somehow, String, I don’t think she bought that,” Dom said as they watched her walk away.  “You gonna be able to keep this a secret ‘til tomorrow morning?”

 

 

“Sure, Dom,” String smiled at his friend.  “I was able to keep my feelings about her a secret for _six months_ last year,wasn’t I?  Another day won’t be a problem,” Hawke replied with a grin of his own.  Of course, Dominic recalled the six months prior to String’s admission last Christmas.  _Probably the worst six months of Cait’s life,_ Dom recalled, as he remembered having to comfort Caitlin more than once, due to Hawke’s seeming ignorance of her feelings. 

 

 

“I remember that, String,” Dom answered.  “There was a time I thought I was gonna have to _beat_ those old feelings outta you!”  Hawke smiled back at his old friend, knowing that those days were the past.  _Now, I’m concentrating on the future,_ Hawke smiled to himself.  “Y’know, String – I’ve been meaning to ask you—what exactly was it that changed your mind about Cait?”

 

 

“Oh, a lot of things, really; starting with the way she looked at me when she rescued me from Horn,” Hawke said with a slight grimace, as he recalled the fight the two of them had before Caitlin was able to inject him with the chemicals to counteract the brainwashing drugs Horn had used on him.  “I at least know one thing—not to get her angry at me!  But, there was a look on her face when I came around...a look I’d never seen there before.  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that she thought of me as more than just a friend.  Then, of course, the comment you told me she made, when you were talking with Michael about rescuing me.”

 

 

Dominic did recall that conversation.  Caitlin had just announced to both himself and Archangel, “We gotta get the Lady,” and Dom had immediately tried to stop her.  “Not _we.  ME!_ The instructions say _me,”_ Dominic had said.  Caitlin had looked him dead in the eyes and replied, “Dom. Don’t do that to me.  I care about him too, you know.  _Probably more than you know._ ”  Those last four words confirmed to Dom what he’d come to suspect over the course of the previous few months—that Caitlin had begun to see Hawke as something more than a friend, even if _he_ didn’t return the favor.

 

 

“Yeah, she was pretty adamant about coming along,” Dom agreed.  “And, of course, remember what she said when we went to _find_ Horn,” Dom recalled.

 

 

“Yeah. _‘I’ve got dibs on Angelica,’”_ Hawke said.  “I never did understand what she meant by that....until now.”

 

 

By this time, Caitlin had come back from the mailbox, and asked what Hawke and Dom were discussing.  “Oh, nothing,” Hawke had replied, but Cait didn’t buy a word of it.  _I know you guys were talking about something, and I’m betting it has something to do with Hawke’s mood the last couple of days.  Well, tomorrow’s another day, I suppose._

 

 

The next morning, Hawke met Caitlin and Dom at the hangar just before Sister Monica arrived with Bobby’s youth group.  “Hi, String!! Hi, Cait!!”  Bobby hollered as he ran over to hug his friends.

 

 

“Hey, Bobby,” Hawke replied. 

 

 

“String...doesn’t Caitlin look pretty again?”

 

 

“Oh, Bobby, you know she always looks pretty,” Hawke said with a grin.  _But today, she looks especially beautiful,_ Hawke admitted.  Knowing that, just like last year, the hangar would close once the group was done with Santa, Caitlin had chosen to dress up again, and even given herself a new hairstyle, one that String had to acknowledge made her more beautiful than ever.  _And, I want to see it just like that the day I marry her,_ he resolved to tell her as he went to check on “Santa.”

 

 

“You just about ready there, Santa?”  Hawke kidded his friend.

 

 

“Just about, String.  My question is....are _you_ ready?”

 

 

He fingered the ring box, still in the pocket of his bomber jacket. “More ready than I’ve ever been in my life,” he replied.  “I’m just wondering why I didn’t do this a long time ago,” he added.

 

 

“‘Cause you were too stubborn to admit how you felt, that’s why!!”  Dom replied with a smile as he finished adjusting his beard before walking out the office door to the cheers of the assembled group of kids.  Bobby let one of his friends go first, since he’d jumped in “Santa’s” lap last year before anybody else could, but when he got his turn, he gave Santa his own list of Christmas wishes, then allowed the next child their turn.

 

 

After about two hours, and a cheerful round of goodbyes from Bobby, Sister Monica took the group back to the church where their parents would pick them up, and “Santa” noticed Caitlin looking apprehensive, just like last year, although he figured she was wondering where Hawke had disappeared to.

 

 

“Now don’t tell me you’ve got another Christmas wish you’re afraid to tell Santa about,” he stated loudly.  Sighing with resignation and embarrassment, Cait walked over and sat down on Santa’s lap.

 

 

“Yeah, Santa....I do.  It’s....about String, again.  There’s something else I want to hear from him...something very special...even more special than my wish from last year.  By the way,” she added, giving Santa a quick peck on the cheek, “thank you.  I never told you that wish came true.”

 

 

“Oh, I knew it had,” “Santa” replied.  “I can see all, you know.  And I know you’ve been a real good girl this year, so I think your wish is gonna come true.  Soon,” he continued as he saw Hawke come into the hangar.

 

 

When Caitlin looked up and saw Hawke, the first thing she noticed was that he was fully dressed in a tuxedo, and carried a bouquet of roses in his hand, which he handed to Caitlin with a smile.  Caitlin stood up and took the flowers, then noticed Hawke put his hand in the pocket of his dinner jacket, even as he dropped to one knee. Caitlin’s eyes flooded with tears, as she realized her Christmas wish was about to come true.

 

 

“Caitlin O’Shannessy, I love you more than words can say, and I want the whole world to know it.  Caitlin, will you marry me?”  He opened the box, and revealed the diamond engagement ring as Caitlin stepped back and allowed him to stand up, remove the ring from its box, and place it on her left hand.  “Oh, yes, String.  Yes, I will marry you!!”  she answered him, just before she drew him in for a passionate kiss, which “Santa” took as a perfect opportunity to walk back to the office to change.

 

 

When they separated, Caitlin glanced down at the ring she wore. “Thank you, String.  You’ve made another Christmas wish come true...and I love you, so very much,” she told him before she embraced him again.

 

 

“And, I’ll keep on making those Christmas wishes come true, Caitlin, for the rest of our lives,” he promised, as he drew her in for another passionate kiss, just as Dominic walked out of the office.

 

 

“Hey, you lovebirds!!  What the heck are you doing??”  Dom demanded as he approached the pair.

 

 

Caitlin broke the kiss and simply extended her left hand, displaying the ring she wore.  Dom, pretending not to know what had happened, shouted, “Congratulations, Cait!!  And you too, String!!” Dominic knew he’d never tell Cait about how he and Hawke had planned the whole thing, but he had to smile as he saw his surrogate son, and the woman he’d come to love like his own daughter, standing there in each other’s arms, and more in love than he’d ever seen two people in his life.  “So?  How long of an engagement are you thinking?”  _Please don’t tell me another year,_ Dom said to himself.  _I’m not sure Cait could wait that long...and_ **I** _don’t want her too!_

 

 

“Oh, a couple of months.  Not too long, though – I want to marry her just as soon as possible,” Hawke replied, as he glanced down at Caitlin.  He knew from her expression that she would have just as soon married him tomorrow, but he wanted her to have a dream wedding, and that would take time to plan.  _After all, we’re only going to get married once,_ Hawke smiled to himself.  _But truth be told,_ Hawke admitted to himself, _I’m as excited about this as Cait is._ When they went back up to the cabin that night, Hawke knew in his heart that he’d made the right decision.  He knew that the next two months would be full of activity as they made all the plans and arrangements, and before they both knew it, their wedding day would be here.  The day they would become Mr. and Mrs. Stringfellow Hawke.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caitlin’s gone two-for-two with Christmas wishes. Can she make it three in a row??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Events in this story will, as always, have no effect on my main story arcs, and for timeline purposes, take place a year after the events depicted in CW 2. (Making this somewhat of an AU fic).

“ _Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland....”_   Stringfellow Hawke never thought he’d be fully into the Christmas season, much less the Christmas spirit.  _But then, I never expected Caitlin and I to fall in love and get married,_ he admitted as he finished hanging the last of the ornaments on the tree at Santini Air.  _This past year has been just about perfect,_ Hawke admitted to himself.  His thoughts, however, were of a Christmas two years ago, after Sister Monica had taken Bobby Phelps’ group back to the church, and “Santa” was in the hangar with Caitlin.

 

 

_Flashback_

 

 

Finally, after about two hours, the group had all given their wishes to Santa Claus, and after Bobby said special good-byes to String, Caitlin, and “Santa,” the group left, but before Dom decided to change out of his Santa costume, Caitlin said, “Um, Santa?  I’ve got a Christmas wish myself,” even as she noticed String turning away from them. 

 

 

“Well, little lady, Santa listens to everybody’s wishes, so come over here and tell me about it,” Dom said as he glanced over at String, noticing that his young friend hadn’t moved too far out of earshot.

 

 

Cait sat herself down on Santa’s lap and said, “Well, I feel kinda foolish doing this...but....I want to hear four special words from String this year.  I think it’s time, don’t you...’Santa?’” She glanced longingly over in Hawke’s direction, and Santa knew exactly what “four special words” she meant. 

 

 

“Well, young lady...have you been a good girl this year?”  Dom chuckled to himself as he asked the question, knowing perfectly well Cait had been a good girl all year long.

 

 

“Yeah...at least, I think I have,” Caitlin replied honestly.

 

 

“Well, then.....you’ll get what you want,” Santa replied, giving Caitlin a friendly pat on the shoulder. 

_End Flashback_

 

 

_Of course,_ **I** _knew what she wanted,_ Hawke smiled to himself as he climbed down off the ladder and began looking for his wife.  _So, I gave it to her...told her exactly what she wanted to hear._

 

 

_Flashback_

 

 

“Aw, Dom....I feel like such a fool.  I poured my heart out to you....I mean...Santa Claus, and I thought String had heard me...but, I guess not.  Either that, or he doesn’t feel the way I hoped he did,” she sighed as they heard a commotion outside, and Dom noticed his boy coming towards them.  “Don’t be so sure, Cait,” Dom reassured her when he saw the expression in Hawke’s eyes.

 

 

“Hey, Dom....you need us for anything else today?”  String asked, obviously having something else on his mind.

 

 

“Huh?  Oh...nah, we got nothing else scheduled for today...you kids go and have fun...whatever it is you’re thinking of,” Dom answered, more than a little apprehensively.

 

 

“Thanks, Dom,” Hawke said, taking hold of Caitlin’s hand and noticing her expression.  “Hey, Cait.  Take a ride with me?”

 

 

“Huh?  Oh...sure, String.  You got something in mind?”  she answered, and tried to keep the sadness out of her voice.

 

 

“As a matter of fact, yeah, I do,” Hawke replied, and the two of them got into one of Dom’s choppers and lifted off.  As Dom watched them leave, he noticed that Hawke seemed to be headed in the direction of the cabin.  _Good luck, String, if you’re gonna do what I_ _ **think..**_ _no...what Caitlin and I_ _ **hope**_ _you’re gonna do._

 

 

About an hour later, String brought the chopper down on the landing dock at the cabin, and as he and Caitlin got out, she asked him, “Hawke, why did you bring me all the way up here?  What’s going on?”

 

 

Hawke gathered his courage, knowing that what he was about to say was, without a doubt, the hardest thing he’d told anyone in a long time.  Finally, he took Caitlin’s face in his hands, and, gazing deep into her blue-green eyes, he answered, “Caitlin...there’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, but I never seemed to find the right opportunity, or feel the right way about it. But now,” he paused for a moment, then plunged ahead.  “I needed to tell you this – Caitlin, I love you...”

_End Flashback_

 

Just then, Hawke saw Caitlin walk out of the office, and thought she looked a little down.  “Sweetheart, what’s the matter?”  String hated to see his wife sad, and especially now, with their friend Bobby Phelps and his youth group coming back for their yearly visit with Santa Claus, who would once again be portrayed by Dominic Santini.

 

 

“Aw, it’s nothing, Hawke,” Caitlin tried to assure her husband. “I was....just thinking about another Christmas wish.  You know, I’ve been doing pretty good with those the last couple of years.”

 

 

Hawke smiled and replied, “Yeah.  I remember.  Two years ago, you asked for me to tell you that I loved you...then, last year, you wished that I’d propose....so, what could you have left to wish for?”  Hawke was genuinely and honestly puzzled.  _It would seem to me that she already has everything she could want....well, except for.....wait a second....she can’t be going to wish for_ **that....** _can she?_

 

 

As if she sensed what her husband was thinking, Caitlin smiled and said, “Well, Hawke....I didn’t tell  you the first two wishes, so _why_ would I tell you _this one?_ Besides,” she added with a sweet smile, “If I tell you, then the wish won’t come true.”

 

 

_I hate when she has a point,_ Hawke grumbled to himself as he and Caitlin went to look for Dominic.  They found him a few minutes later, working with a string of lights he was hanging from one of the helicopters.  Hawke called up to his friend, “Hey, Dom!  You ready to play Santa again?”

 

 

“Yeah, sure, I’m ready, String,” Dom replied as he climbed down.  “Cait?  You got another Christmas wish for Santa?”  Dom knew Caitlin had been pleased with the results of her last two Christmas wishes, so she most likely would have a third one, Dom reasoned.

 

 

“Yeah, I think I’ve got one last wish,” Caitlin remarked with a grin, which she directed at Hawke. 

 

 

Three days later, Dom was back in the office putting the finishing touches on his Santa outfit, as Cait and String waited out in the hangar for Sister Monica with Bobby’s group.  In keeping with tradition, Caitlin had dressed up again this year, and Hawke once again found himself intoxicated, not only by the smell of the perfume she wore, but also with the sheer beauty in the woman next to him.  _Not just physical beauty, either,_ Hawke said to himself, _although she is gorgeous....but she’s so beautiful in other ways, too,_ Hawke admitted to himself.  Just then, Sister Monica’s group arrived, and in the lead, as usual, was their friend Bobby Phelps.  “Hi, String!!  Hi, Cait!!”  he bellowed as he charged towards his friends, to envelop them in a monster hug. 

 

 

“Hey, buddy!!  We’re glad to see you!”  Caitlin told her young friend, as she gave him a friendly peck on the cheek.  “How have you been this year?”

 

 

“I’ve been real good,” he replied and glanced over at String. “You smile a lot more.  I like it,” he said.  “I was happy to see you and Cait get married, String.”

 

 

“I was happy, too,” Hawke replied, and added, “and I still am very happy,” when he caught Caitlin’s look. 

 

 

“Where’s Santa Claus?”  one of the other kids demanded.  Just then, the office door opened, and a hearty _“HO HO HO!!”_ rang through the hangar as “Santa” took his place to begin listening to the childrens’  wishes.  Once again, when Sister Monica had bundled all the kids back on the bus to go back to church, Caitlin found herself on Santa’s lap, to confess her final Christmas wish.

 

 

“Well, Santa....you know the last two wishes I’ve made have come true....and, I’ve been a good girl all year long...well....mostly,” she admitted, her cheeks turning a particular shade of red at a memory from a couple of nights ago.  Finally, she continued, “and my last wish is...I wish Hawke and I would start a family....I want to have kids.”

 

 

Santa paused for a minute, not quite sure how he would answer this one.  “Well, young lady, I know this will be the hardest wish to grant that I’ve ever gotten from you, but,” he smiled knowingly at her, “I think you’ll get this one, too....after all, you’ve been doing pretty well so far, haven’t you?”  Santa laughed heartily as Caitlin nodded, then slipped off his lap after giving him a friendly peck on the cheek.

 

 

On their way back to the cabin, Hawke thought he’d finally figured out what Caitlin’s third Christmas wish was, even though he knew she wouldn’t tell him.  _It’s almost too obvious,_ he thought to himself.  _After all, what do most married couples want?  To have kids._

 

 

**Sometime in late January...**

 

 

“Hawke?”

 

 

“Yeah, Cait?”

 

 

“I...I have something to tell you,” she stammered, a little nervous at something she’d learned that morning.  “You remember when I bought....”  She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

 

 

“What?  That home pregnancy test kit?  Yeah, I remember...that’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Cait.”

 

 

“Well, I took the test this morning...and it’s positive.  I’m going to have a baby, Hawke.”

 

 

“You’re _serious?_ You’re going to have our baby?”  Hawke was at once stunned and elated by this news, and he gathered Caitlin into a gentle, but passionate embrace.  After a while, he said, “I didn’t think it was possible.....after everything you told me happened when you were a baby.”  Caitlin had told him that she had been a premature baby, and was given a cocktail of steroids in order to try to stimulate her growth, but she had been advised as she grew up that these drugs might make it impossible for her to have children.  Now, it seemed, they had proven the odds wrong.

 

 

“Hawke?  I know these home tests aren’t completely accurate....so I was thinking...”

 

 

“We’ll go to the hangar and make a doctor’s appointment right now,” Hawke said, and led her out to the helicopter.

 

 

Two hours later, Hawke sat in the waiting room of Caitlin’s OB-GYN, as he waited for some news regarding his wife.  Finally, a nurse came out, and took Hawke back to the exam room where Caitlin was.  The first thing Hawke noticed was that his wife was in tears.  “Are these good tears, or....”  He stopped when he saw her expression. “Guess not.”

 

 

“No, Hawke.  The other test...was wrong,” Caitlin sighed, as she tried to get her emotions under control.  “I’m sorry, Hawke.”

 

 

“Cait...you’ve got nothing to be sorry about,” Hawke said.  He turned to the doctor and asked, “Is it okay to try again?”

 

 

“Well, Mr. Hawke, physically, yes, Caitlin’s fine for normal sexual activity...emotionally, that might be a different story.” She turned to Caitlin and said, “Cait, I know this wasn’t the result you were hoping for....but like I told your husband, you can start trying again as soon as you’re ready,” and the doctor noticed Caitlin’s expression brighten when she said that.

 

 

**Sometime in late May.....**

 

 

_Here we go again,_ Hawke said as he once again sat in the waiting room of the OB-GYN’s office.  _I just hope this isn’t going to be another disappointment, like last time._ Hawke could still remember the look on Caitlin’s face when she told him that they weren’t really pregnant.  _That was the saddest I’ve ever seen her,_ he mused to himself, _and what really hurt was, there wasn’t a damned thing I could do about it._ They’d started trying again a couple of weeks after that doctor’s appointment, and just a couple of days ago, Caitlin had taken yet another home pregnancy test, and gotten the same result.  _I just hope this isn’t another false positive,_ Hawke sighed.  _That would just kill her._ Just then, the nurse came out, and led Hawke back to the exam room  
where Caitlin sat, waiting, with the doctor.

 

 

“Cait?  You okay?”

 

 

“I’m fine, Hawke....we’re all just fine.”  She glanced up at him, hoping that he’d caught the end of her statement.

 

 

“ _We?”_ You mean...”

 

 

“That’s right, Mr. Hawke,” the doctor confirmed with a smile. “This time, she’s really pregnant.”  Hawke’s smile as Caitlin stood up to embrace him could have lit up the entire examination room.  “Now, Caitlin...I want you back here in three months for a checkup, and we’ll do a sonogram then, to see what we can see. Okay?  Again, you two, congratulations.”  Hawke and Caitlin both thanked the doctor before they left to go home.

 

 

**Sometime in mid-August.....**

 

 

Hawke and Caitlin were waiting in the exam room as the doctor studied the pictures she’d gotten from the sonogram.  Caitlin turned to her husband and whispered, “Now remember, Hawke.  _All_ we want to know is if the baby is healthy.  Got it?” 

 

 

“Yes, dear,” Hawke mumbled.  Just then, the doctor looked up and said, after finally having convinced herself that what she saw _really was_ what she saw, “I have to tell you, this is an interesting sonogram.”

 

 

“Interesting?  How?”  Caitlin sounded worried.  “All I want to know is, is my baby healthy?”

 

 

The doctor smiled, and said, “Relax, Cait.  You don’t smoke, you don’t drink heavily....your career choice could become a problem later on, but I’m not too concerned about that right now.  You’re doing everything right.  Don’t worry.  Your babies will be just fine.”

 

 

“Oh, that’s a relief.  Did you hear that, Hawke?  The babies will be just fine.  Okay, let’s go,” Caitlin said, and they began walking out of the exam room, but something the doctor had said made Hawke turn around.  _I have to make sure I heard what I_ **think** _I heard,_ he said to himself.

 

 

“Did you say _‘babies?’_ ”

 

 

Caitlin heard her husband’s question and turned back to the doctor.  “Yeah. Did she say _‘babies?’”_

 

 

“That’s what I said, Caitlin.  In about four months, you’re going to have twins.”

 

 

Hawke suddenly felt a little woozy, and had to ask the doctor for a chair to sit down.  He sat next to his wife and said, “You’re sure?”

 

 

“Absolutely, I’m sure,” the doctor replied, holding the sonogram image up to the light.  “That’s why I stared at the sonogram for so long...to make sure that what I saw really was what I thought I saw.  There’s one little head...and here’s the other. We caught this at a good time...sometimes, the scanners don’t pick up one or the other at first.”

 

 

“I can’t believe it,” Caitlin whispered as she stared at the images of the two lives growing inside her.  “Hawke....we’re having _twins._   Dominic will be so surprised!”

 

 

_Not half as surprised as I am,_ Hawke admitted to himself.  “Any idea when the babies will be born?”

 

 

“I can’t be _positive,”_ the doctor said, “but it looks like you’re going to have your very own Christmas miracles,” she stated with a calm air of finality.

 

 

“Christmas....well...it’s a little late, but....”

 

 

“Yeah, Hawke....my last Christmas wish will come true.”  Caitlin smiled the special smile she saved only for her husband.  “Thank you so much, Doctor.”

 

 

“You’re quite welcome, Caitlin.....and again, congratulations.” Hawke and Cait left the doctor’s office and headed home, as they had a lot of work to do in the next four months.  First, of course, they had to build an addition on to the cabin.  _That’ll be something Saint John, Dom and I can work on, once Cait can’t help us anymore,_ Hawke reasoned.  _But, if I know her, she’ll be involved until the very last minute._

 

 

A few days later, back at the hangar, Caitlin asked Dom to talk with her and String in the office for a minute.  As he closed the door, Dominic asked, “Okay, you two...what’s going on?  You’re not having problems with the baby, are you?”  Dominic looked at Hawke like his own son, and had come to love Caitlin like a daughter, so to think that the two of them were not getting along somehow, after everything they’d been through to get where they were, or even worse, that something was wrong with the baby, was something Dom wasn’t sure he could stand.

 

 

“Seriously, Cait.  Are you both okay?”  Dominic queried.

 

 

“Dom, we’re fine,” Caitlin said, as she leaned into String. “We’re all....just fine.”

 

 

“ _All?”_   The last time Dom heard somebody say that, it was their friend Nick, as he announced that his wife had just had triplets.  Caitlin watched him, and glanced at String as she waited for Dominic to finally put the pieces together.  Suddenly, Dom’s face brightened.  “You mean.....” 

 

 

“Yeah, Dom.  Come Christmas time, you’ll be the surrogate grandfather...to twin girls.”

 

 

“Oh, _mama mia,_ I can’t believe it!”  Dom shouted as he gathered Cait and String into a huge embrace.  “But, this is gonna change a lot of things around here.  No more flying off to God-knows-where whenever “Mr. Clean” calls us.”

 

 

“Well, Dom..Hawke and I will worry about that when the time comes...for now, though, there’s something we wanted to ask you,” Caitlin said, to change the subject.  “Would you be okay with us naming one of our daughters....’Sally Anne’?”

 

 

Dominic stared, unbelieving, at his two closest friends.  “You...you want to name one of your kids after my daughter?  String...Cait....I would be honored,” Dom answered them, with tears filling his eyes as he embraced Hawke and Caitlin again.  “Cait?  You know what that means?  It means your last Christmas wish is coming true.”

 

 

“Yeah, Dom,” Caitlin answered as she glanced at her husband. “And, the babies might actually be here around Christmas time, at least, that’s what the doctor said.”

 

 

“Well, that’s great news.  Any ideas what you’ll name the other one?”

 

 

“Well, Caitlin decided on an old Irish name – Saoirse Hawke.”

 

 

“Saoirse?”  Dominic stuttered, butchering the pronunciation. “Sounds Indian to me, not Irish.  How the heck do you pronounce that, anyway?”

 

 

“Seer-sha,” Caitlin replied, grinning.  “I looked it up – it means “freedom,” which seems appropriate, considering we’re both pilots...and love the freedom we have in the sky,” she stated firmly.

 

 

“I like it....I don’t quite _get it,_ but I like it,” Dom said as he toyed with the name in his mind.  _Oh, String...I’m gonna really feel sorry for you in about 16 years, buddy,_ Dom said to himself.  _If those girls are even half as pretty as their mother, you’re gonna be up every night worrying about them being out with some guy.  Unless, of course, that guy is anything like their dad....or their uncle Saint John,_ Dominic added, silently.

 

 

**Christmas Night**

 

 

“God, why did I think I could do this?  I’m not ready to be a mother,” Caitlin gasped as the next contraction hit.

 

 

“Sorry, Cait....babies disagree.  Okay...this time, push!!”  As she followed the doctor’s orders, Caitlin looked over her shoulder at her husband and shouted, _“Hawke, I swear....if you ever touch me again, I'll cut it off and make you eat it!!  Do you hear me??”_ String shuddered at the thought, but then realized it was only her frustration and the pains talking.  A few contractions later, and their first child, Sally Anne Hawke, had been born, followed a few minutes later by her sister, Saoirse Marie Hawke. 

 

 

“I can’t believe we did this, Hawke,” Caitlin whispered as she looked at her two daughters. 

 

 

“Cait, you did all the work,” Hawke chuckled.  “I don’t know how you ladies do it, carrying babies around for nine months.”

 

 

“Oh, Hawke,” Caitlin whispered through joyful tears, “carrying our twins was the most incredible experience of my life...up until a few hours ago,” she added with a wry grin.  “Those last few hours are not something I want to go through again any time soon.”

 

 

“Yeah, I kinda got that impression,” String replied as he held Saoirse, and looked at Sally in the arms of her mother.  “I hope you didn’t mean what you said about....”

 

 

“If you ever touched me again, I'd cut it off and make you eat it?” Caitlin fixed her husband with her most adorable impish grin and said, “Well, I wouldn't go _that far...._ but any of that kind of activity's gonna have to wait a little while, at least,” she admitted.  Caitlin knew she couldn’t deny her husband for long, _and, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t even if I_ **did** _want to,_ she admitted to herself.  _But,_ she sighed, _I've gotta let myself heal a little bit._  

 

 

**One week later, at Santini Air**

 

 

“String?  Cait?  I thought you two were supposed to be.....oh...wait a second...are these my two little angels?”  Dom looked into the carriers at two tiny babies wrapped in pink blankets. “Aw w...they’re so cute!!  So, who’s who?”

 

 

“Well, Sally Anne is over here,” Caitlin pointed to the baby on Dominic’s left, “and this one is Saoirse Marie,” Caitlin said, as Sally reached up and grabbed one of Dominic’s fingers in her tiny hand.

 

 

“They’re so cute, you two....I know, I know, I said that before, but it’s the truth.  I think they both are gonna look like you, Cait,” Dom smiled and turned to String, “which means, buddy boy, I’m gonna feel _real sorry_ for you about 16 years from now, when those boys start calling for them,” Dom grinned as he watched his two surrogate grandchildren, who seemed to be falling asleep again.  _I hope you two girls find two guys like your daddy and your uncle Saint John,_ Dom thought to himself as he stared at the babies.  _You find two guys like them, and you’ll do just fine._

 

 

Standing there with his wife beside him, and watching their twin girls, Stringfellow Hawke felt as happy as he had ever been in his entire life.  He had finally gotten his happy ever after, and had been able to give the woman he loved her three most special Christmas wishes.  _Or, would twins count as ‘four,’_ he asked himself.  _Oh, who cares,_ he finally decided as he squeezed Caitlin closer to him.  “Merry Christmas, Cait.  I love you.”

 

 

“And I love you, too, String.  Always, and forever.”  Silently, Dom, Hawke and Caitlin watched the two sleeping children, each pondering the future.


End file.
